AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums Belize Life News accident tuesday evening

DAMN!!
Unbelievable....

Probably shouldn't open this can of worms again(it was controversial at the time), but anyone remember the the short lived trams they tried? Actually we loved them and I still think the idea is viable. A few weeks ago had a scarey moment when a child on a bike tipped over ahead of me. Fortunatly on a cart the stopping time averted an accident, but a truck or taxi never. It is unfortunatly going to happen one day unless we address it.

A one factual note seems in order here - especially since I'm the one who started dissing cars. The truck was not going fast when it ran over Mr. Rayburn. Mr. Rayburn was riding his bicyle and trying to pass the truck. He was beside the truck when his bicycle tire caught in a rut or something and flipped him under the truck. It was a terrible tragic thing - but a real true freak "accident".

Oh my! How sad. Best regards to his family.

Now that someone has brought the issue up (unfortunately through the tragic loss of a fine man) I will comment from the point of view of a first-time visitor to AC last April. There were many great things about San Pedro and Ambergris Caye, not the least of which was its warm people. But your "traffic" problems are awful - and unexpected for a vacation site that advertises on the strength of its laid-back environment. We love to venture out on the streets to meet the people who live in the places we visit. By golf cart we felt we had a fighting chance and had to use them more often than we wanted to. By bicycle, we were afraid each and every time we took to the streets. Taxis drove at ridiculous rates of speed for the street type and the traffic. Trucks seemed to make a game of riding close to bicyclists' rear tires and zooming around only after their game got old.

We were hoping for a quaint town. A place where "laid back" was reality. That's certainly not what we found on San Pedro's streets. We were frighteningly close to injury - or worse - several times (and yes, we are regular bike riders at home, observe the rules and know what we should be doing to stay away from motorized traffic). I think the idea of minimizing (and eventually eliminating) motorized traffic and reverting to golf carts for transportation could be an extremely valuable venture for San Pedro. A "no cars on our island" advertisement would really attract people looking to get away from the rat race.

This artical ran in the San Pedro Sun a year ago;

To The People of San Pedro,
La Isla Bonita ( In the eyes of one Gringo)

As the sun slip's it's bounds and rise's from the sea, on the pier where I sit, are the dolphins and me,

The sea romances the reef, the wind dance's with the coconut tree's and we start another day, out in the caye's

Fried Jacks and coffee at our station, as dive boats slip out for some mystic destination.

The sun keeps climbing as it always has and our mind slips away to some far day past.......

This was our dream as we worked away in some high rise office in the U.S.A. We toiled and worried and dreamed of the day when we would be at "home" on a small island, far away......

The day finally came and was filled with "Hurrahs",we were off to San Pedro for the rest of our lives'.......

"Something has changed" said my bride of 40 years, as we drove down Coconut Drive, her eyes filled with tears, the Taxis' looked like a freight train 40 cars long, dust chocking and gagging as we bounced along. Passing each other in their race to be macho, I took to the ditch amoung the "HOOTS" and "WE GOTCHA"........

I'm taking my leave of "La Isla Bonita", along with my money," maybe later I'll see ya"........

Growth is good but without dicipline and control, your days are numbered, and your in the hole......

Your only source of income is from people like me and the tourist that visit this isle in the sea.When asked "How Was Paradise", the reply will be, "Go somewhere else to live by the sea".......

With rising crime and more Taxis' than New York, this island can't handle things of this sort. No more mini-vans and big dump trucks, stay with the golf carts, not the big bucks. Get back to "What Brung YA" and restore your beauty, and this island will again be "The Caribbean Cutie"

wow

We tourist that visit often, come to Ambergis for: "LESS IS MORE", plain and simple, to relax, spend money, leave happy, to return again very soon.

Perhaps this is something that is best addressed through the town council via signed petitions from visitors. We can talk about it here all we want, but the 'powers that be' need to hear it firsthand from the tourists. Since we all can't be there for the meetings, I suggest someone on the island take up the cause. Maybe if they see hundreds of signatures supporting vehicle restrictions (by the folks that bring needed $$ to the town) something will be done. It beats just talking about it.

Wow, I didn't know Missing was a poet!